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Yashiro wasn’t sure what it was exactly that had stopped him from killing Satoru. He’d spent a lot of time replaying the events in his mind, trying to pin down what it was that made Satoru different then all the others. Maybe it was his resolve; he hadn’t screamed or cried like the others. Or maybe it was because Satoru had been the only person to ever outsmart him.
Either way, something had made him pause, twirling the basketball still in his hand as a new idea began to take shape. He didn’t really need to kill Satoru. There was nothing that could tie Yashiro to any of his past crimes, and since Satoru had managed to disrupt all his latest plans, his hands were clean for the moment. Satoru was still glaring at him from the car, still tugging at the jammed seatbelt, if with less vigor then before. Yashiro smiled and this time it wasn’t the cruel grin of a murderer but the warm smile of a teacher.
Mind made up, Yashiro tossed the basketball into the back seat and climbed back into the car. His seatbelt snapped shut with an easy click and he could practically hear the glare Satoru sent his way. He took the time to raise the windows fully before glancing over at Satoru. Satoru’s eyebrows were scrunched in suspicion and Yashiro stifled the urge to laugh. Instead he reached into his pocket, popping a cherry lollipop in his mouth before offering the lemon flavor to Satoru. Satoru gave him a disgusted glare and refused to respond.
“What are you doing?” Satoru asked once they’d been driving for a while.
He sounded frustrated.
“What do you mean, Satoru?” Yashiro asked conversationally, tapping out a rhythm of the steering wheel as he waited for the light to turn green.
“Why didn’t you kill me!” Satoru snapped, somehow managing to sound angry and anxious at the same time.
Yashiro smiled pleasantly, “Why would I do that? You’re not a threat to me Satoru. I have no reason to kill you”
Satoru shifted in his seat, clearly unsatisfied with Yashiro’s response. Yashiro slowed the car as the reached what he knew to be Satoru’s street. He came to a stop a block away from his house. Satoru looked anxious as he spotted his house, like he thought Yashiro had driven him all the way there just to kill him. Yashiro waited for Satoru to turn back around to face him before reaching down to release Satoru’s seatbelt with a practiced ease that earned him another furious glare. Satoru yanked on the door handle a couple of times before he let out a noise akin to a sigh and turned back around.
“I’ll see you at school Satoru,” Yashiro said, waiting a beat before unlocking the doors.
Satoru almost fell out of the car in his scramble to get out.
“I don’t know what you’re playing at Yashiro, but I won’t let you hurt anyone else. I will destroy you,” Satoru said and while it was meant to be a threat Yashiro smiled at the warm fluttery feeling those words brought to his chest.
That had been about a week ago now, Yashiro drummed his fingers against his desk idly as he watched Satoru work at his desk. Satoru avoided making eye contact but the tenseness of his shoulders made it clear that he was aware of Yashiro’s staring. He tried to keep it discreet but sometimes he got caught up and lingered just a little too long. It was through this careful observation that Yashiro discovered the second reason for the anxiety that seemed to radiate from Satoru.
The bell rang and Yashiro made sure to announce the next day’s homework as the students filed out of the room. Satoru notably slipped out alone. He’d been distancing himself from his friends lately.
Yashiro kept his eyes on Satoru even as he answered the questions of the girls who’d quickly surrounded him. He didn’t miss the hard shove Satoru received from a boy a few grades up. There was a faint smile on Yashiro’s lips as Satoru fell to the ground, shaking a little in what could’ve been fear or frustration. Then another girl asked a question and Yashiro let his attention shift away from the boy.
Satoru hadn’t given up. Yashiro could see it his eyes the day after the lake. He looked furious but also a little anxious. Satoru had always been a step ahead of Yashiro’s plans; It was almost as if he’d seen the future. Things were different now, Satoru looked at him with more than just anger. He looked at him like he knew Yashiro was up to something but didn’t know what, and that was when Yashiro realized that whatever advantage the boy had had before was gone.
It wasn’t long before Satoru started running into trouble with some of the older kids. The timing was wonderfully suspicious, only two days after the incident, and he knew Satoru thought he had had something to do with it. Funnily enough he hadn’t done anything this time. Satoru had been so busy running around and getting in Yashiro’s way; he hadn’t noticed when some of the other boys at school began to notice.
Yashiro hadn’t been the only one to notice Satoru’s lapse in confidence after the incident. The boy tried his best to act like normal, and he was able to put up a good enough show for his friends. But then he started distancing himself. The others had noticed all of this of course and suddenly Satoru became the perfect target for their malice.
Yashiro spent the next few weeks quietly watching as the situation began to escalate. Satoru was becoming more and more anxious as the days went on and Yashiro continued to do nothing. He’d considered it briefly; picking out another victim now that Satoru was distracted, but ever since Satoru he hadn’t really felt the drive to plan another murder. So, in a way, he supposed, Satoru had accomplished his goal.
Satoru began coming into class with bruises. He shrugged off the questions his friends threw at him and while they always looked concerned, they backed off. Satoru’s harassers were smart. Besides the occasional shove or insult they never confronted Satoru on school grounds, usually waiting for him by the school gate or near the park. Yashiro had hung back to watch a few times. Satoru had given up trying to reason with them and usually just curled up and let them hit him until they were satisfied these days. But there was a fiery determination in his eyes when he got up after they left, and Yashiro couldn’t help the grin that spread across his face as he watched from a car down the street.
It took longer than it should have before Kenya came to tell him about it after class. Still, he played the part of a worried teacher shocked to find out one of their students was being bullied and assured Kenya that he’d speak to Satoru about it as soon as possible. Kenya looked relieved and accepted the cherry lollipop Yashiro offered with a smile as he left.
Satoru looked suspicious and angry when Yashiro asked him to stay after class the next day, but it wasn’t until the rest of the class had left that Satoru leveled Yashiro with a full-on glare.
“What do you want Yashiro-sensei,” he asked crossing his arms.
“Kenya tells me you’ve been having trouble with some of the other kids Satoru,” Yashiro said in his best rendition of a concerned teacher.
“Kenya’s wrong,” Satoru let out through gritted teeth.
“Bullying is a serious matter Satoru. I can’t help you if you don’t tell me who’s hurting you,” said Yashiro reaching out to brush a bruise on Satoru’s cheek.
“I’m fine sensei,” Satoru said taking a step back to avoid Yashiro’s touch, “Can I go now?”
Yashiro smiled and Satoru tensed up, “Of course. I’ll be here if you ever change your mind.” Yashiro pulled out grape lollipop and held it out to his student, “Lollipop?”
Satoru clenched his fists as he stormed out of the classroom.
“You think you’re better than us loser!”
Yashiro had just finished getting groceries when he heard the shouting coming from the alley besides the store. He took a moment to glance around at the empty storefront; the sun had already set, and he’d been the last one in the store, besides him it was unlikely that anyone else would intervene. He popped a lollipop in his mouth, lime flavored, and went to go investigate. His lips were quirking into a smile before he even realized it when he spotted Satoru surrounded by three older kids.
Satoru was already pretty beaten up; his nose was bleeding, and a few bruises were beginning to form on his face. The one who had spoken, the leader probably, had slammed Satoru against the wall and was still shouting, following each insult with a yank or a shove or a punch in the face. The other boys hung back, sneering and waiting for their turn. He couldn’t hear what Satoru said but Yashiro could see the rage that flashed across the older boy’s face before he punched Satoru hard in the gut.
Satoru buckled over, coughing as he tried to suck in air, and he probably would’ve collapsed if it weren’t for the bully’s grip on the front of his shirt. That was when he spotted Yashiro. The bully was yelling something else, but Yashiro couldn’t hear it because Satoru was staring at him, nailing him to the spot with a hateful glare. Yashiro thought it might’ve been the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.
Unfortunately, it didn’t last long because the bully didn’t like being ignored and Satoru was thrown to the ground. Yashiro found his interest wavering as the boys began to beat Satoru. Satoru didn’t put up much resistance, and Yashiro was pretty sure he could hear the crack of a rib breaking at some point, eventually the boys grew bored and after taking a moment to spit on their victim they filed out of the alley. Yashiro blended in easily, pretending his lollipop stick was a cigarette ironically enough, and the boys didn’t even give him a second glance as they walked off.
Yashiro left his grocery bag at the entrance of the alley as he walked towards Satoru who was still lying on the ground breathing heavily. He glared at Yashiro as he approached and struggled to his knees, clutching at his ribs and wincing before sitting back down.
“Oh Satoru,” Yashiro sighed in mock disappointment, “You should’ve told me you needed help”
“What do you want from me Yashiro,” Satoru said.
Yashiro smiled and held out a gloved hand, “You can’t go home like this. Here, I’ll drive you to the hospital”
“Stop— “Satoru protested, pushing against Yashiro as he went to pull him to his feet, and then, “I-I can’t go to the hospital”
Yashiro paused. Satoru kept the fact that he was being bullied hidden from all his friends. It wasn’t too hard to believe he did the same at home. His voice had cracked a little at the end in near desperation. Yashiro did have bandages at home and the more he thought about it the more he liked the idea of showing Satoru where he lived.
Satoru tried to struggle out of Yashiro’s grip as he hauled him to his feet, but his efforts were futile, and his ribs had to be hurting from all the jostling as he quickly gave up. Yashiro stopped to pick up his groceries on their way out and Satoru let out a snort. It wasn’t until they got in view of the car that Satoru renewed his efforts to break Yashiro’s iron grip on his bicep. Yashiro was just a little bit pleased when Satoru began shouting. He adjusted his grip swiftly so that he was clamping his hand over Satoru’s mouth instead of his arm, pressing the boy to his chest as they walked the last few paces to reach the car.
Yashiro deposited his groceries before opening the passenger side door and inviting Satoru to climb in. Satoru glared at him as he yanked out of his grip but climbed into the car anyway. Yashiro climbed in and started the car with a pleased smile. Satoru jumped a little when Yashiro locked the doors.
“Seatbelt,” Yashiro sang as he gave his own a tap.
Satoru glared and crossed his arms in defiance. Yashiro sighed and reached across to do it for him, using one hand to keep the boy pressed against the seat while he yanked the belt across him with the other. Satoru hissed in pain as the belt pushed against his ribs. Yashiro didn’t miss the way Satoru’s hands twitched towards the release. Satoru caught him looking and with a harsh glare, balled them into fists by his sides.
“This isn’t the way to the hospital,” Satoru said after a while sounding anxious but not altogether surprised.
“No, you said you didn’t want to go to the hospital remember,” Yashiro said as he turned off the main road.
They drove in silence for a while before Satoru spoke again.
“You did this didn’t you,” Satoru said, looking down at the hand clutching his ribs, and while it was probably supposed to be an accusation, Yashiro could hear the desperation in his voice.
“You give me too much credit Satoru. That was all you,” Yashiro said.
“Why?” Satoru asked. He sounded tired.
“Jealousy probably. Bullies target people who don’t have many friends, or who spend most of their time alone,” Yashiro said and he could practically feel the accusation on the tip of Satoru’s tongue, but it remained unspoken and the rest of the drive was silent.
It didn’t take long for them to reach Yashiro’s house. Yashiro smiled at the look of relief that flashed across Satoru’s face when his seatbelt opened first try. The fear returned quickly however when Yashiro opened the door and pulled Satoru from the car. Satoru put in a token effort of trying to loosen Yashiro’s grip but it was half hearted at best by this point and Satoru was clutching his ribs with his free hand as they walked.
Yashiro deposited Satoru on the couch before heading to the bathroom to look for medical supplies. He’d locked the front door behind them, and he doubted Satoru would get far anyway in his current state. Even so he didn’t waste time; he’d underestimated the boy before. Satoru was by the windows when he returned and the look on his face said he’d figured out that none of them opened. Yashiro smiled and motioned for him to sit. After another grudging glance around the room he sat down on the couch as far from Yashiro as he could get.
Yashiro grabbed a roll of gauze and knelt to lift Satoru’s shirt.
“What are you doing?” Satoru asked looking more uncomfortable then angry.
“We’ll need to reset your ribs as soon as possible, unless you don’t want them to heal?” Yashiro said mildly.
Satoru didn’t look entirely convinced but he let Yashiro continue. Satoru recoiled at the touch, wincing as Yashiro’s hands prodded at the bruises littering his body. It didn’t take him long to find the break. Satoru’s chest and stomach were covered in dark bruises, he was lucky only one rib had snapped. It was a wonder Satoru was handling it so well, with his ribs the way they were even breathing had to be excruciating. Most kids would have been in tears. Satoru had never been like most kids though. Yashiro was careful in wrapping the gauze, keeping it tight as he slowly wound in over the injured area. It had to hurt because Satoru began breathing in sharp intakes and he’d begun to tremble.
“Why are you doing this,” Satoru asked and Yashiro knew he didn’t mean the gauze.
“Doing what Satoru,” Yashiro asked as he gave the gauze one last tug before tying it off.
Satoru let out a choking sound, freezing up as a fresh wave of pain shot through him. “This,” he said unable to find the words as his eyes began to water.
“Because you’re different Satoru,” Yashiro said with a fond smile.
“I hate you,” Satoru said, wiping furiously at his face with his sleeve.
“Orange or bubblegum,” Yashiro asked as he pulled out two brightly colored lollipops.
“Orange,” Satoru said after a minute sounding impossibly tired.
Yashiro smiled and this time in was a full-on grin as he handed over the sucker and popped the other in his mouth. Because for the first time the hole in his heart felt a little less empty.